In minimally invasive surgery, there are often several small incisions made into the body to insert surgical tools, insufflation devices, endoscopes, or other viewing devices. Surgeons are now performing procedures in a manner that minimizes the number of incisions, possibly to only one, referred to as Single Port Incision or Single Port Access (SPA). Surgeons are also using natural orifices, such as the mouth, to provide access for procedures using no incision or only incisions internal to the body.
The advantages sought by surgeons by reducing the number of incision points to as few as possible are to lessen trauma to the patient, reduce the incidence of infection, improve recovery time, and decrease cosmetic damage.
The reduction of incision locations will change how surgeons and their teams work. There may no longer be room around the access point to accommodate multiple surgeons who would normally hold and adjust instruments around the surgical field. A single surgeon may need to control all of the instruments for the procedure through one access point.
For example, endoscopic surgical procedures performed through a tubular cannula have evolved over the years. Presently, surgeons are performing endoscopic procedures in any hollow viscus of the torso body area after the region is insufflated. Typically, multiple narrow cannulas are each inserted through individual small entrance wounds (i.e., ports) in the skin, in order to accommodate various instruments, as well as varying viewing angles. To accomplish their insertion, separate trocars are used in conjunction with the cannulas to puncture the body cavity. A trocar is a guide placed inside the cannula with either a pointed cutting blade or blunt tip, depending on whether it is used to puncture the skin or enter through a separately made incision. Once the cannula is inserted, the trocar is removed, leaving the hollow cannula in place for use during the procedure.
The entry and deployment of imaging and/or lighting components can aid surgical procedures, such as endoscopic procedures. Examples of tubular cannula with deployable imaging and/or lighting components are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,787 to Irion, U.S. Application Publication No. 2009/0275799 to Saadat et al., U.S. Application Publication No. 2009/0259097 to Thompson, and U.S. Application Publication. No. 2008/0065099 to Cooper et al., the disclosures of all of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.
There is, therefore, a need in the art for a surgical apparatus assembly combining trocar cannula, with imaging and illumination capabilities, in order to minimize the number of openings in the body per procedure.